The Gacha Addict of the Academy

Without realizing it, I frowned, only to immediately chastise myself.

No matter what, this person caught me when I almost fell. Frowning just because I ended up in his arms? That’s basically advertising that I have a trashy personality to someone I’ve just met.

Not that this was the only reason, but…

I relaxed my expression and apologized.
“… Sorry.”

“Huh? Oh, it’s fine. I can see why you’d feel uncomfortable. I should’ve been more careful. My bad.”

The guy gave me a bright, carefree smile, leaving me at a loss for words. I clammed up. Guys like him didn’t mesh well with me at all.

On top of that, he was exactly the kind of person I wanted to avoid. The sooner I left, the better.

“Wait, wha–?!”

Just as I was in the middle of repeatedly apologizing, something popped into my head.

Ask the man in front of you for his name. – x1

“…?!”

I was horrified by the sudden message in my mind.

Ask for his name?

I knew exactly what this was. It was related to the ability I’d had since arriving here.

“What’s wrong?”

“Huh? Oh, no, it’s… um… What’s your name?”

This was completely out of character for me.

But for now, I didn’t care. Whatever awkwardness came from asking him directly was far less important than completing this task and earning whatever that “x1” would get me.

The man looked surprised at my sudden question, his eyes widening slightly, before he introduced himself as Kang Juhyuk.

As soon as he said his name, I determined that this was enough and gave him a small nod.

“W-Well then, I’ll be going now…”

The embarrassment hit me like a tidal wave, and I quickly fled the scene.

“Phew…”

Being alone is definitely the most comfortable.

After returning home, I collapsed onto my bed.

“Hehehe… hehehehehe…”

Another one down.

As soon as I thought about wanting to roll gacha, a massive machine appeared in front of me.

Apparently, this kind of power—one that manifests when you have enough latent magic—can appear in all sorts of forms. But this? This was a power only I could see and use.

In this world, everyone has their own unique ability. This was mine.

The task I had just completed added one more roll to my available count, bringing it up to eleven.

“Sigh…”

I let out a deep breath of relief.

“This really is the perfect ability for me.”

My power is exactly what it sounds like: Gacha.

Whenever I think about rolling gacha, a machine appears in front of me.

According to the vague description, it supposedly gives me a power that’s “suitable for my current situation.” But the instructions on the machine are so unclear that I have no idea what “suitable” even means.

To make matters worse, any abilities I acquire from the gacha disappear after a certain amount of time or once a battle ends.

It’s not exactly something I can use recklessly.

“…”

I dismissed the machine, watching as it vanished into thin air.

With a power like this, it’s no wonder my family would want to cast me aside. Gacha? Random loot boxes? No one could’ve anticipated I’d end up with something like this.

To top it off, the currency for rolling the gacha isn’t real money—it’s something I can only earn by completing various missions.

As if the system is saying, You can’t avoid getting involved in the story.

“… Sigh.”

Just earlier, I’d resolved to live quietly, doing whatever I wanted while letting the protagonist handle all the big stuff. But the moment I saw my roll count recharge, I completely lost it.

“Arghhh, seriously!”

How could anyone resist gacha?!

I’ve always wanted to smash it to pieces, calling it a harmful addiction. But the truth is, I’ve never even considered playing a game without gacha. And now… a real-life gacha?!

A real-life gacha!!

“Sigh…”

But why did that mission pop up earlier?

Now that I think about it, the guy who caught me seemed oddly familiar.

It’s absurd, really—someone like me, who barely knew anyone in my past life, recognizing someone here. Yet, when I set aside my skepticism, the truth is, I’ve definitely seen him somewhere before.

The most suspicious possibility? He’s the protagonist.

His name was Kang Juhyuk.

Coincidentally, the protagonist’s name was also Kang Juhyuk.

Take the name Silvaros—the academy’s name. This is an international academy, attracting people from all over the world. Thanks to the uniforms and a universal translation spell covering the campus, communication isn’t an issue.

The protagonist was described as having fiery red hair with streaks of white—a unique and unforgettable combination. When I saw that guy’s hair earlier, I immediately thought of Kang Juhyuk.

Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine meeting him in such a cliché heroine-like way. I was too flustered earlier to notice much, but fiery red hair with white streaks isn’t exactly common.

“…It can’t be, right?”

I hope it isn’t, but…

Let’s be honest: same name, same hair color—hoping it’s not him feels delusional.

The moment I realized who he might be, I panicked and bolted without thinking.

“Sigh… What am I supposed to do now?”

Up until today, I could just sit back and relax. But tomorrow, I’ll have to attend the academy, and the real problem is how to handle myself then.

Given my personality, being social and outgoing isn’t an option.

The ideal situation would be to live comfortably, blending in with a few casual acquaintances and enjoying a peaceful academy life. But knowing me? That’s impossible.

I’ve never been the type to overthink things, so why start now?

…

Honestly, what I’m most afraid of is people finding out I play otaku games…

“… I didn’t get a single wink of sleep.”

The thought of attending the academy today kept me up all night.

Now, I’m so exhausted I could pass out at any moment.

Not that I’d actually let myself faint, but the fact that my vision’s getting blurry isn’t a good sign. This body isn’t just small—it’s weak to fatigue, too. How am I supposed to fight like this?

Dragging my feet, I arrived at the academy and looked around.

They don’t call this the world’s greatest academy for nothing. It was massive, grand, and absolutely stunning. My limited vocabulary couldn’t even begin to describe it properly. But still… it was beautiful.

…But talking to people? Yeah, that’s something I’ve hardly ever done. How am I supposed to explain this feeling to anyone?

I’m starting to feel a little nervous.

“Sigh… Calm down… Wait, huh?”

After taking a moment to catch my breath and compose myself, my thoughts started to clear up. At first, I thought just getting to the academy would be enough, but now, a massive problem suddenly hit me.

“…Where’s my class?”

I had no idea which class I was in.

“T-Thank you…”

“Make sure you don’t forget next time.”

I kept bowing my head and apologizing under the professor’s scolding.

Honestly, I’d probably be upset too if a student suddenly showed up, claiming they didn’t know which class they were in or where to find it.

Still, when I showed my student ID and asked, the professor immediately checked with magic and kindly gave me the directions. Doesn’t that make them a truly dedicated teacher?

“Sigh… this is exhausting.”

Even now, I felt so drained. I wasn’t confident I could handle life at the academy. I didn’t know magic, swordsmanship, or even basic martial arts. How was I supposed to survive in this class?

Please, just let everyone ignore me…

When I arrived at my classroom, the lively chatter inside spilled out into the hallway.

As I walked in, the students briefly glanced at me before resuming their conversations. No one came up to talk to me. It was official—I had no friends. Let’s just accept that as a fact.

“…My seat…”

Ah, there it is.

Thankfully, every seat had a name tag, so it wasn’t hard to find mine.

It seemed I had entered the story not long after it began, but everyone had already formed their groups and were chatting away as if they’d known each other for years. For someone like me, who’s a loner to the core, striking up a conversation with anyone felt impossible.

After briefly scanning the room, I pretended to look comfortable and made my way to my seat. Even after sitting down, no one approached me.

While it was a relief, a strange sense of sadness also crept in.

I couldn’t just sit idly, so I pulled out my smartphone and started reading a novel. The new phone I’d ordered yesterday would arrive soon, but for now, I needed something—anything—to stave off the boredom and discomfort.

The irony wasn’t lost on me. The reason I ended up like this in the first place was because of a novel, and yet here I was, still reading one.

This was pretty much all I ever did anyway…

“…”

But what had once been so enjoyable at home now felt utterly dull.

No, calling it dull might not be fair. It wasn’t that the novel wasn’t entertaining—it was that I couldn’t bring myself to focus on it.

Even so, I stubbornly kept reading.

If I didn’t do something, I’d probably lose my mind and run out of here.

I mean… my entire world had changed overnight. Wouldn’t it be strange if I wasn’t feeling out of sorts?

A heavy sense of melancholy settled over me.